2019 Volume 72 Issue 6 Pages 247-255
Since dietary lipids provide more energy than dietary carbohydrates and proteins, there has been a stereotypic image that lipid intake leads to the development of various diseases. However, the contribution of dietary lipids to the development and prevention of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is dependent on their quantity as well as quality, and their resulting effect on lipid metabolism. Growing evidence indicates that dietary phospholipids (PLs) , especially phosphatidylcholine (PC) , phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) , phosphatidylinositol (PI) , phosphatidylserine and sphingomyelin, have beneficial effects in comparison with dietary triacylglycerol. We have investigated the physiological functions and molecular actions of dietary PLs such as n-3 PUFA rich-PC and PI in the development and progression of MetS and NAFLD in animal models. These bioactive PLs prevented and/or alleviated the development and progression of these diseases through regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism and an increase in the levels of circulating adiponectin. In addition, we quantified the contents of PL molecular classes in samples of meals served in the dormitory and cafeteria of a Japanese company and then conducted stepwise multiple regression analysis to identify predictors (food groups) of each PL class intake. Our results clarified the daily intake of PL molecular classes among Japanese individuals and the food sources of PC and PE, suggesting that multiple regression analysis is useful for prediction of food sources of bioactive components.
